Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) - TSC - Basic (SAGA 001)

If you search your soul, you’d probably have to concede that Hasbro did a phenomenal job at trying to engage the collecting community after the final Prequel Trilogy film came and went. The tail end of 2005 saw the birth of The Saga Collection. It was a line that focused on (for the very first time) the complete Star Wars saga with a strong collector focus. The packaging was gorgeous too. A little bit vintage Kenner mixed with a scene-specific backdrop plus a cool pack-in premium, what else did Hasbro need to do to try to engage the collecting community? For us, The Saga Collection begins what we’ll hail the Golden Era of collecting. This is the way things should be done. But even despite the great packaging, Hasbro pulled together a cast of characters in theme specific waves that brought us tremendous upgrades t previously released action figures, as well as some first time offerings that were drool worthy. The balanced the line with repaints, repaints and all-new figures seamlessly that it felt like every figure in the line was new and special. One all-new figure in the very first inaugural wave of The Saga Collection was Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise). The last time we saw this figure done in the modern Kenner/Hasbro line was the Shadows Of The Empire line (and its subsequent re-release in 1997’s POTF2 [Green/Freeze Frame] line). It took almost a full decade to get this figure updated, but it was certainly worth the wait.

Now properly scaled, accurately detailed, beautifully painted and upgraded in articulation, this nicely approached Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) may just become one of Hasbro’s finest moment in the basic figure line. She certainly isn’t perfect, but we truly believe that you’ll find more to appreciate than criticize and she is an admirable addition to the line. Unofficially (or maybe perhaps “officially”) part of the Battle of Carkoon grouping of figures, Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) comes with an impressive 16 points of articulation across 12 different areas on the figure’s body. The incorporation of ball-joints is a tremendous blessing and it gives the figure the range of motion you expect in this new era of collecting. The lower portion of her jacket definitely inhibits her leg movement, but again, there is just so much detail and “art” here that we’re confident you’re going to overlook the figure’s limitations. The paint operations are “OK” on her face, but the rest of her costume is stunning, if perhaps a bit too dark. Still, we think Hasbro did an excellent job here. Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) is also nicely accessorized. She comes with a removable helmet of course, in addition to a blaster staff (which is sadly much too soft), a removable cape/harness combination and a separate thermal detonator accessory (which has a knob that plugs into a hole in her left palm). This is a sweet action figure. She looks so good fully outfitted with her accessories.

It’s worth mentioning the figure’s sculpt in a little more detail. It’s amazing how far Hasbro has come when it comes to scale. Princess Leia is no longer competing in height to her male counterparts. She has been authentically replicated as she appears in the film. And Hasbro took this very important detail to heart when they created this figure. Her arms and really her frame in general perfectly replicate the character we saw in Return Of The Jedi so well. And this may also sound repetitious, but the packaging just drives it all home beautifully. Packaging is not something that we’re all too interested in with collecting, but when it’s done this gloriously, it certainly makes the whole collecting experience that much more enthralling. While there is definitely room for improvement with Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise), we really believe that most collectors are going to be quite taken with this release. The inclusion of more ball-jointed types of articulation will go a very far distance in making a figure like this definitive. But as far a sculpting goes, Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) is exactly what collectors want to see. As with all The Saga Collection figures, Princess Leia (Boushh Disguise) comes with a “good guy” miniature hologram figure. They’re sort of gimmicky, but there is also something likeable about them as well. Technology improves with every year we move forward in collecting, so there’s no doubt that will get a better version of her in the future. But right now this one is grand.